President Muhammadu Buhari has stressed the need for journalists to engage in good journalism, saying such promotes good governance.

The President said this at the 67th World Congress of the International Press Institute in Abuja on Thursday.

He said the changing media landscape, the explosion of the social media and the rapidly evolving new technology had had a profound impact on media business and media practice.

The President said it was, therefore, satisfying that an appropriate theme “Why Good Journalism Matters: Quality Media for Strong Societies,” was chosen for the conference.

Buhari said, “In a world where the borderline between hate speech and free speech has become blurred, good journalism matters. In an environment where fake news dwarfs investigative reporting, good journalism matters.

“For survival in an increasingly competitive field, good journalism matters.

“Good journalism promotes good governance. I, therefore, urge participants to give depth to the topic in your discussions and conclusions.”

Buhari insisted that the Boko Haram sect had been technically degraded in the country.

He said the hosting of the global conference in Nigeria was a proof of how safe the country is.

Also, the Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen, Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.), gave the Federal Government a perfect score in the area of border security.

Dambazau made the remark during an interactive session at the 67th World Congress of the International Press Institute in Abuja on Thursday.

When asked to score the Buhari government on border security, he said, “This is a difficult thing you are asking me (to do) because when you are talking about border security and management, it involves so many things. That is one.

“Secondly, from what I have said, it isn’t something that is left to Nigeria alone. It is a regional problem that we are working very closely with our neighbouring countries on.

“In our own efforts, I will tell you 10/10.”

He noted that there were a lot of movements from other countries especially by herders from other countries into Nigeria and vice versa.

The minister said apart from the setting up of a biometric unit at borders, the government had also begun monitoring the number of cattle being brought in

“If you come in with 20 cattle and you are leaving with 30, certainly we will suspect you as a cattle rustler,” he said.

Dambazzau said the government was aware of the organised border crimes, noting that there were ongoing measures to prevent the immigration of criminal elements into the country.

The minister said, “We have been able to see what is happening in some of the border places. We are also in the process of biometric registration of all irregular migrants that have overstayed in this country. This is to capture every migrant who is resident in this country and that if we have the data, we will be able to monitor the movements of everyone. This process is ongoing and we will be able to start the registration as soon as possible.

“We also have a technology which is in the process of completion at the immigration headquarters, which will enable the immigration personnel to capture the information of every Nigerian. We also partner with our immediate neighbours and the countries within the region.

The Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the farmer/herder crisis was inevitable due to the population explosion, climate change and an increase in the rate of crime.

Mohammed argued that religion and ethnicity were not among the cause of the crisis.

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